The United States killed a senior al Qaeda terrorist who helped carry out the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the destroyer USS Cole, a U.S. official stated

The official said the missile attack on a car in northern Yemen killed Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi and five lower-level members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization. The official said a CIA-operated Predator drone launched a Hellfire missile, which struck the terrorist's car. The official said it was one of the best "kills or captures" in Washington's war on terrorism since bin Laden confidant Abu Zubaydah was collared in Pakistan during the summer..

These systems were also extensively used during Gulf War 2.

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Federal regulators have begun considering rules that would allow drones, the pilotless planes being used in the war in Afghanistan, to fly in U.S. airspace.